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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wax — for sculpting
  2. club — for golf
  3. bank — for money
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. face — part of the head
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bank — of a river
  9. bank — for money
  10. row — a line
  11. face — to point toward
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. face — to confront
  14. wax — to grow
  15. row — to paddle
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pop — to visit
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. pop — soda
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for dancing
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com